Stream: Sister Wendy’s Triptych I EP
We’ve come to associate a certain sound with local experimental musician Greta Ruth and “electronic” is definitely not an adjective we’d ever apply to it. Our expectations have been confounded, however, by Ruth’s latest project Sister Wendy in which she partnered with her husband, Zach Waldon.
Ruth and Waldon recently released a three song EP entitled Triptych I. Whereas Ruth’s solo work is largely stripped down and unembellished, Sister Wendy employs a more electronic-forward production style. Ruth’s guitar and (overdubbed) vocals are accompanied by a wash of pulsing and fluctuating tones, drums, and even occasional samples.
While it’s certainly a different approach from Ruth’s solo work, the similarities are definitely there, Ruth and Waldon are able to maintain a very homespun and organic feel to the sound, very much a hallmark of Ruth’s work. A major factor there is that Ruth herself is still centering these songs around her whispered wistful intimacies, just as she has in the past.
The change in sound, while definitely a change, honestly feels natural and not at all like a left hand turn. That’s a testament to the care and obvious passion that both Ruth and Waldon took with the latest EP which I would recommend anyone check out, regardless of familiarity with previous albums.
